Tender Turkey

The joy of turkey hunting isn't over when the hunter pulls the trigger. The big birds are some of the finest table fare in the woods.

"They really aren't that hard to deal with if you clean it and handle it properly," said David Pradat of Tuscaloosa.

Pradat and cooking partner Rickey Phillips of Demopolis should know. They won the Alabama Wildlife Federation's State Wild Game Cookoff in 2001. Phillips regularly limits out in Alabama and hunts turkey in three states, so they have plenty of meat to work with.

A successful wild turkey entrée begins before the bird makes it to the kitchen.

Any good wild turkey dinner starts with handling the bird properly right after the kill.

"A lot of people like to take it and throw it in the back of the pickup and ride around with it for three or four hours showing it to people," Phillips said. "That really hurts it when you get on up in the season and the days start getting warmer."

Phillips recommends cleaning the turkey immediately if possible.

He splits the skin down the back and peals it off the whole turkey. Then he filets the breast meat. He guts the turkey and salvages the body, thighs and legs.

Anybody who's determined to show off their bird should at least field dress the turkey, removing the entrails. But they should place him in a cooler with a bag of ice. Anyone who wants to avoid getting the turkey's feathers wet should put the gobbler in a plastic garbage bag before putting him on ice.

Before cooking, it is best to soak the bird in brine.

"Any game bird is better when it's soaked overnight in cold, salty water,"

Phillips and Pradat can skin their turkeys because they don't bake whole birds.

"That's why we've looked for so many ways to cook turkey because we don't like it baked," Phillips said.

Because of its mild taste, Phillips said turkey needs seasoning and absorbs it well.

"A piece of grilled chicken with no seasoning wouldn't be very good," Phillips said. "A turkey is no different."

Also, retaining the meat's moisture is successful.

"It's like any wild game, everybody wants to cook it to death," Pradat said. "If you do that, It's like chewing on an old shoe."

The simplest methods are sometimes the best. Phillips and Pradat say it's hard to beat fried turkey breast strips. It works best with a tender, young gobbler.

They start by slicing a turkey breast filet into finger-sized pieces. They take flour and season it with Cajun seasoning and black pepper. Then they roll the breast fingers in the mixture.

"We use straight flour, no liquid dredge before," Pradat said.

"I want it as light as I can get it," Phillips said. "I don't want a heavy batter."

Also important is good-quality oil. Phillips and Pradat prefer peanut oil and they heat it to about 350 degrees before cooking.

"You want to get it done but you don't want to overcook it," Phillips said. "It's something you have to get a sense about."

He also drains the fried strips on a rack instead of a paper towel. Draining it on a towel makes it soggy, he said.

Phillips said he sometimes takes a tenderizing mallet and lightly pounds an older turkey's breast to fry it. But generally he resorts to another way of cooking it.

Pradat accompanies fried turkey with some kind of fried potato. Sometimes he takes sweet potatoes, peals them and grates them into large straws. Or, he may cut them into large home fries. In either case, he deep-fries them in peanut oil heated to 300-350 degrees.

Another way to tenderize an older turkey is to marinate it in citrus or pineapple juice. Phillips and Pradat use a marinade that's two-thirds pineapple juice and one-third soy sauce. In with the marinade, they throw quartered onions and bell peppers and fresh pineapple chunks.

After marinating it for a day, they cut the turkey into chunks and skewer it along with the onions, peppers and pineapple. They boil the marinade to kill any bacteria from the meat and then use it as a basting sauce. As a side, they serve grilled asparagus brushed in olive oil

Again the trick is to cook the turkey until it's done but not overcooked so that it's dry.

The turkey's legs and thighs pose another set of problems.

"The turkey's legs and thighs have so many tendons in them that you can't really eat them like you can a domestic turkey."

Boiling is about the only way to tenderize legs and thighs. Phillips and Pradat use the meat in another simple recipe, turkey and rice.

Phillips and Pradat bring legs and thighs to a boil in water with salt, pepper, onion and celery. After boiling until it's tender, they pull the meat off of the bones and save the stock. They use the stock to make the rice.

Once the rice is done, they cut the turkey into the desired texture, mix it with the rice and season it with salt, pepper and thyme.

For the most part, they keep it simple. But turkey gumbo, while time consuming, is worth the effort. Phillips and Pradat begin by boiling a turkey until the meat is tender. Once it's done, they remove the turkey, pull the meat from the bone and reserve the stock.

Next, they take flour and oil and combine it in a cast iron Dutch oven over medium-high heat to make a medium brown roux. To the roux, they add onion, bell pepper, celery and the turkey pieces and reduce to medium heat.

They cook, stirring occasionally, for ten minutes or until the vegetables are wilted. To that they add garlic, salt, cayenne pepper, thyme and bay leaves and cook five more minutes, stirring frequently. After that, they add chicken broth and water, bring to a gentle boil and then simmer for two hours uncovered. They remove the bay leaves and green onions and serve in bowls over rice with French bread on the side.

While the recipe calls for cooking two hours, Pradat said his gumbo often cooks more.

"The more gumbo cooks, the better it is to me," Pradat said.

Pradat sometimes cooks the gumbo, then refrigerates it for a couple of days to let the flavors blend. He then re-heats it and simmers it for a couple more hours.

Turkey hunters can be a secretive lot and Phillips is no exception. Last year, he and Pradat won the fowl division of the AWF regional cookoff in Tuscaloosa with a recipe called "creamy turkey," a rich concoction served over a big, fluffy, homemade biscuit.

"I'm not giving you that one," Phillips said with a devilish smile.

Pradat shakes his head, "He won't even give me that one."

Turkey breastsFlourSaltPepperCajun seasoningPeanut oil

Cut turkey into finger-sized strips. Season flour with salt pepper and Cajun seasoning to taste. Roll turkey in flour and seasoning to make a light coating (do not dip it in any kind of liquid first). Heat enough oil to cover the turkey to 350 degrees. Fry until done but avoid overcooking.

Cut turkey breast into chunks and marinate in a mixture of two-thirds pineapple juice and one-third soy sauce. Place quartered onions and bell peppers and chunks of fresh pineapple in the marinade along with the turkey and marinate over night. Be sure to prepare enough marinade to cover the ingredients. Skewer turkey chunks, onion, pepper and pineapple. Season with pepper and garlic mixture to taste. Allow coals to burn down and ash over and place on grill. Avoid overcooking to keep from drying out the meat.

Turkey legs and thighsOnionCelerySaltPepperThymeRice

Place turkey legs and thighs, onion and celery into a stockpot and cover with water. Season the water with salt and pepper, bring to a boil and cover. Boil until the meat is tender and then remove from the stove. Remove the turkey from the water but save the water. Pull meat from the bones and cut to the desired texture. Use the stock to cook the rice according to the package's instructions. When the rice is done, mix rice and turkey together and season with salt, pepper and thyme to taste.

Rub turkey with Cajun seasoning, place in a large stockpot, cover with water and boil until tender. Remove from pot and pull meat off of the bones. Combine flour and oil in a cast iron Dutch oven and stir over medium-high heat. Stir slowly for 12-15 minutes to make a medium-brown roux. Add onion, bell pepper, celery and meat to the roux and reduce to medium heat. Cook for 10 minutes or until the vegetables are wilted, stirring occasionally. Add garlic, salt, cayenne, thyme and bay leaves. Cook for five minutes stirring frequently. If the turkey stock amounts to less than two quarts, add enough chicken broth to it to make that amount. Add stock and water and bring to a gentle boil, then simmer two hours uncovered. Remove bay leaves and green onions and serve in bowls over rice. Note: allowing gumbo to sit in the refrigerator for a couple of days and then re-heating improves the flavor.